IT'S THE FEAST DAY OF ONE OF MY FAVOURITE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS...JEROME.

HE TRANSLATED THE BIBLE INTO THE LATIN VULGATE...THE ONE THAT I STUDY...THE DOUAY-RHEIMS BIBLE...WAS TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN THEN TO ENGLISH.

SINCE HE IS THE PATRON OF SCHOOLCHILHREN...I IMPLORE HIM TO PRAY FOR MY GRANDSON...MATTY...WHO STARTED GRADE PRIMARY THIS MONTH.

AMUSING...

MIKE AQUILA...A CONTEMPORARY STUDENT OF THE STUDY OF CHURCH FATHERS...dubbed Jerome “Doctor Cantankerous".  Jerome quarreled with or complained about (or at least growled at) an amazing array of his fellow Fathers: Ambrose, Augustine, Chrysostom, Rufinus, and, of course, Origen (to name just a few).

POEM/SONG ABOUT JEROME
The Thunderer


If you read this out loud you will get the most benefit from it ... or do as I did and hear Mike Aquilina recite aloud in his speech The Church Fathers for Church Teachers. (Mike's speeches are pure gold by the way; highly recommended.)GO HERE TO LISTEN TO MIKE.


OR DOWNLOAD DION'S VERSION HERE FOR 99 CENTS.

The Thunderer by Dion
Format: MP3 Download , From the Album Son Of Skip James



THE THUNDERER

God’s angry man, His crotchety scholar

Was Saint Jerome,

The great name-caller

Who cared not a dime

For the laws of Libel

And in his spare time

Translated the Bible.

Quick to disparage

All joys but learning

Jerome thought marriage

Better than burning;

But didn’t like woman’s

Painted cheeks;

Didn’t like Romans,

Didn’t like Greeks,

Hated Pagans

For their Pagan ways,

Yet doted on Cicero all of his days.



A born reformer, cross and gifted,

He scolded mankind

Sterner than Swift did;

Worked to save

The world from the heathen;

Fled to a cave

For peace to breathe in,

Promptly wherewith

For miles around

He filled the air with

Fury and sound.

In a mighty prose

For Almighty ends,

He thrust at his foes,

Quarreled with his friends,

And served his Master,

Though with complaint.

He wasn’t a plaster sort of a saint.



But he swelled men’s minds

With a Christian leaven.

It takes all kinds

To make a heaven.
*****************************************************

CAPE BRETONESE CHATTER

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WITH THE NAME JEROME...I RECALL SOMEONE IN MY CHILDHOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ASHBY...BY THAT NAME...A FATHER WITH 10 KIDLETS AND A HUSBAND WITH A MOST SAINTLY WIFE.IN FACT ONE OF HIS DAUGHTERS MARRIED MY UNCLE.THE JEROME I KNEW WAS A THUNDERER TOO.

ON THIS FEAST DAY OF THE ARCHANGELS SUPPORT THE ST. MICHAEL PRAYER CAMPAIGN TO BRING MICHAEL'S PRAYER BACK TO THE MASS.DOES YOUR PARISH RECITE THE PRAYER AFTER THE MASS...IF NOT,PERHAPS YOU COULD ENCOURAGE IT.

FEAST DAY OF SAINT WENCESLAS

Good King Wenceslas
One of the best loved Christmas Carols is the 157-year-old carol: Good King Wenceslas. In 1853, John Mason Neale chose Wenceslas as the subject for a children’s song to exemplify generosity. It quickly became a Christmas favorite, even though its words clearly indicate that Wenceslas ‘looked out’ on St. Stephen’s Day, the day after Christmas. So Good King Wenceslas is actually a Boxing Day carol! For a tune, Neale picked up a spring carol, originally sung with the Latin text ‘Tempus adest floridum’ or ‘Spring has unwrapped her flowers’. This original spring tune was first published in 1582 in a collection of Swedish church and school songs.

Jolly Old St. Wenceslas

Who was King Wenceslas anyway? Wenceslas was the Duke of Bohemia who was murdered in 929 AD by his wicked younger brother, Boleslav. As the song indicates, he was a good, honest, and strongly principled man. The song expresses his high moral character in describing King Wenceslas braving a fierce storm in order to help feed a poor neighbour. Wenceslas believed that his Christian faith needed to be put into action in practical ways. Wenceslas was brought up with a strong Christian faith by his grandmother St. Ludmila. Wenceslas’ own mother Drahomira, however, joined forces with an anti-Christian group that murdered Wenceslas’ grandmother, and seized power in Bohemia. Two years later in 922 AD, the evil Drahomira was deposed, and Good King Wenceslas became the ruler. He became Bohemia’s most famous martyr and patron saint. His picture appeared on Bohemian coins, and the Crown of Wenceslas became the symbol of Czech independence.

Intergenerational Appeal

Even as a young child, I remember feeling moved as I sung this unusual carol. Why does Good King Wenceslas have such a deep and lasting impact on its hearers? Perhaps it is because there are so many levels of meaning to this carol. A child may hear one thing, an adult may hear another. I find that I can sing it again and again, and new meaning continues to pour forth from the carol. Recently the phrase ‘Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer’ really spoke to me. It reminded me that sometimes there are times in our lives when life and its stresses seem to overwhelm us, and we feel that ‘we can go no longer.’ The response of Good King Wenceslas was most interesting. He said: ‘Mark my footsteps, my good page, Tread thou in them boldly: Thou shalt find the winter’s rage freeze thy blood less coldly.’ Wenceslas reminds us that when we are all alone, life can feel very bleak. It is at such times that solidarity with another human being can help ‘our blood freeze less coldly’. Wenceslas affirms that we are not alone, and subtly points to the basic Christmas message that Jesus our Master will never leave us in the cold.



In His Master’s Steps

In the last verse are the memorable words: ‘In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted.’ The author John Neale, an Anglican priest, shows us here that the essence of true living is learning to walk in our Master’s steps. All of us need a Higher Power to help guide us along our journey. Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me (and tread in my steps), he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Our challenge each Christmas is to look beyond the toys and tinsel, to see ‘the Master’s steps.’

Fr. Thomas Dubay

It was devastating to learn of his death...I have watched many of his presentations...his series on St. John of the Cross helped me to understand St. John more than any book could.He had a funny down home way of presenting himself.

EWTN has received word this weekend that one of our favorite show host Fr. Thomas Dubay had died. Popular series includes • Teresa of Avila: Personality and Prayer • Prayer Quests • Contemplation: Union With God .

Please pray for the repose of his soul.
 

Father Robert Barron To Have Weekly Television Show.


First Priest Since Archbishop Sheen to Have a Regular TV Show.

CNA – Fr. Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Chicago will begin broadcasting a weekly national television show on WGN America to reach Catholics and others searching for Christ. He will be the first priest since Archbishop Fulton Sheen to have a regular, national program on a commercial television network.



Fr. Barron, a professor at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, runs the global media ministry called “Word on Fire.”



His WGN America show will be titled “Word on Fire with Father Barron.” It will premier at 8:30 a.m. Central Time on Sunday, Oct. 3. It will also run on WGN Chicago at 9:30 a.m.



“Now is the time to reach out to Catholics and others who are searching for meaning in their lives or who have left the Church because they are disillusioned,” Fr. Barron said. “In each episode, our mission will be to encourage believers and bring the transformative power of the Gospel to the culture.”



The priest, who was ordained in 1986, has also been producing a ten-part documentary titled “Catholicism,” telling the story of the Church through travels to 16 countries. He will preview highlights of the series in his weekly broadcasts.



“The faith of the Church is our strength,” Fr. Barron continued. “Our program will strive to show viewers the richness of the Catholic faith and how it is a treasure to be shared now and with future generations

Archbishop urges Catholics to make faith more visible

The Archbishop of Westminster told Catholics the Pope's visit was "marvellous and unforgettable" Catholics in England and Wales are being urged to build on the visit of Pope Benedict by being more confident in expressing their faith.
The Archbishop of Westminster says Catholics should be more ready to make the sign of the cross and say "God bless you" to people.
Vincent Nichols said believers had been given "new heart" by the Pope's four-day visit to Scotland and England.
His pastoral letter will be read out in Westminster archdiocese this weekend
The Archbishop called on Catholics to respond to the Pope's hope that they would become "ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people".

'Beauty of holiness'

Writing a week after the papal visit, Rev Nichols said: "With the blessings of this visit we can be more confident in our faith and more ready to speak about it and let it be seen each day.
"A small step we can all take is to be quicker to say to others that we will pray for them, especially to those in distress.
"Even the simple step of more regularly using the greeting 'God bless you', gently and naturally, would make a difference to the tone we set in our daily lives, as would the more frequent use of the sign of the cross.
"Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all."
There have been a number of disputes between Christians and employers over public displays of faith, but Archbishop Nichols tells Catholics that after the Pope's visit, they should be more confident in their faith and more ready to let it been seen.
He said that during the four "marvellous and unforgettable" days of the Pope's visit, Catholics had "glimpsed the beauty of holiness".
He added: "I will never forget the richness of the silence of 80,000 people at prayer before the blessed sacrament in Hyde Park."

CHIARA LUCE BADANO WAS BEATIFIED IN ROME TODAY...MOVING CEREMONY FOR THIS 18 YEAR OLD WHO DIED OF BONE CANCER IN 1990.
********************************************************************

I NOTICE THAT TOXIC CHANNEL THAT IS CNN HAS A DOCUMENTARY ON TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT...REPEATED 6 TIMES IN TOTAL...ABOUT THE ABUSE SCANDEL IN THE CHURCH,ENTITLED ...WHAT THE POPE KNEW.NO WONDER THEIR RATINGS ARE GOING THROUGH THE FLOOR.
TRYING TO DREDGE THIS UP AGAIN...PROBABLY IN AN EFFORT TO DEFLATE THE CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS OF THE POPE'S VISIT TO THE UK.
I ENCOURAGE ANY BLOG BUDS TO AVOID THIS CHANNEL.

Chiara Luce Badano
WILL BE BEATIFIED ON SEPTEMBER 25TH!!

Chiara Luce Badano, an 18-year-old-girl, will be beatified in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 25th, 2010 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love.

The beatification will be broadcast live on EWTN . She is called "a saint of our times" by the local bishop in Italy who knew her personally. He sees this 18-year-old, who died after a three-year struggle with bone cancer, as a guiding light ("Luce") especially for young people. Asked if she talked about spirituality with her high school friends, she said, "Talking about God doesn't count for much. I have to give Him."


Chiara Luce's recognized miracle was the healing of a little boy dying from meningitis last year. You can read her story in the book "Chiara Luce: A Life Lived to the Full," by Michele Zanzucchi

Most Britons Still Identify as Christian

– New figures from the Office for National Statistics has found that most British people still consider themselves to be Christian. The number of homosexuals, meanwhile, is far lower than previously estimated.


According to the office, 71 percent of the population is Christian. The statistic was welcomed by the Evangelical Alliance, which claims to have bolstered the cause for believers to become more open in expressing their faith.

"Christians have increasingly felt bewildered about what they can and cannot say or do," Stephen Cave, advocacy director at the alliance, commented. "Of course faith is personal to each individual but that doesn’t mean to say it’s entirely private – far from it."

"In fact we welcome dialogue with people of all beliefs, including atheists. Where possible we should engage in conversation not confrontation," he added.

"Our challenge now is to demonstrate that being a Christian is much more than belonging to a certain group. Quite simply it’s about making a commitment to Christ and enjoying the freedom of conscience to do that in public life.”

The survey found that the number of people describing themselves as Christian still far outweighs those who say they have no religion, who account for 20.5 percent of the population.

The figures will be good news to those who believe Christianity should still have a prominent role in public life and indicate that affiliation to the faith remains strong in spite of declining church attendance.

Their release comes just one week after the Pope spoke out against the marginalization of Christianity and attempts to push faith into the private sphere.

Still, the percentage of people saying they have no religion has risen from 2001, when 15.1 percent of the population said they had no religious affiliation.

Meanwhile, Muslims make up 4.2 percent of the population, followed by Hindus at 1.4 percent, Sikhs at 0.6 percent, Jewish at 0.5 percent and Buddhists at 0.4 percent.

The Office for National Statistics also revealed that just 1.5 percent said they were gay or bisexual, amounting to only around 750,000 people in the overall population.

The number is far below figures suggested by the government in 2005, which estimated homosexuals in Britain to number around 3.6 million, and gay rights group Stonewall, which previously estimated that between five and seven percent of the adult population in Britain was gay.

Of those who said they were homosexual, 1.3 percent were men and 0.6 percent were women.

Gay rights group Stonewall said it believed the real number of homosexuals could be higher as many of the surveys were conducted over the phone or on doorsteps, possibly discouraging people from giving their real answer.

Mike Judge of the Christian Institute suggested that the government should lower its spending on same-sex issues to reflect the figures.

He told the Daily Mail, “A large amount of public money has been spent on the basis of higher figures, which have turned out to be a lie.”

NOW WEREN'T YOU ALWAYS TOLD THIS...

QUESTION AT CATHOLIC ANSWERS...
Do angels finish the rosary if you fall asleep?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is it true that if you are praying the rosary and you fall asleep the angels finish it for you?

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Such an idea is the kind of folk piety that might be passed down from a Catholic grandmother, but we have no indication in Church teaching that angels do this. Certainly they do not need to do so. If you inadvertently fall asleep during the rosary, don't worry about it. What matters is your intention to pray the rosary.

FULL MOON TONIGHT.
Full Harvest Moon – This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.

We Told You So: Britain Gobsmacked by Pope Benedict
“People’s Pope leaves Britain with a smile on its face.”

While anti-Catholic, secularist and homosexualist activists, with generous help from the media, have spent most of the last year attempting to derail the papal visit, the smart money was always on Benedict XVI taking every fight without breaking a sweat. And when the bell rang, and the eyes of the world were trained on the little island ring, it became clear from the first moment that Benedict’s opponents were hopelessly outclassed.

The pope held Britain spellbound, with the anti-papal rallies and demonstrations as nothing more than “a sideshow to the visit,” with a brief assassination plot scare to show the British “what real religious extremism looks like.”

Journalists tweeting from the plane on the way back to Rome on Sunday reported that there was an “air of celebration among the papal entourage.” They said, “This time they won with the Pope.” After months of hearing the increasingly shrill attacks (as one journalist put it, the devil himself could hardly have had worse press), the British people were ready to hear the other side.

Before the visit was even over, Keith O’Brien, the cardinal archbishop of Edinburgh, had already spoken of the “Benedict bounce,” in which the very harshness of the attacks contributed to the turn-around in public opinion in the pope’s favour.


But it was Benedict’s personal warmth, gentleness, and the sheer rationality and sense of his message, that hit the cynical British media and political establishment right between the eyes. All the talk in Rome today is of how well the BBC handled the commentary, with positive guests and few fumbles, even on fairly obscure Catholic terminology.

And Britain’s tabloid press, not usually known for backing the side of the angels, are left in awe. The News of the World, England’s largest circulation Sunday paper, and one that often acts as a bellwether for genuine public opinion, ran the headline, “Bene’s from heaven” with the subhead, “People’s Pope leaves Britain with a smile on its face.”

The secular atheist liberals and their friends in the media are going to take a long time to get over this visit. Because they thought they were on a winner. They thought they were going to, if not arrest the pope, at least seriously embarrass him.“And this little guy in white just flattened them. His gentle, calm, soft-spoken approach just won everybody over. And the demonstrations faded away.

”And now that Benedict is home, even the hostile media are having difficulty trying to pursue their campaign because “they’ve discovered that the vast majority of people don’t hate the pope, actually, they quite like him. And some of them really love him. Because he’s a lovable guy, and it’s very hard to hate somebody’s lovable grandfather.”

The completeness of Benedict’s triumph in Britain was astonishing to watch. The spell lasted up to the last possible moment, with Prime Minister David Cameron and a large government and ecclesiastical entourage assembled at Birmingham airport to see Benedict off. Among the last shots from the BBC’s live broadcast was of the group of dignitaries and bishops waving to the departing plane, as if seeing off an old friend.

Message from above? The dove shaped cloud formed over Bristol ahead of the Pope's State visit - and the wind even allowed it to fly across the sky.

They say that every cloud has a silver lining.But this particular cloud seemed to be something even more special, a message from God.Captured by former RAF photographer John Gray, 69, from the back garden of his home in Westbury-on-Trym, near Bristol, this cloud appears to be a symbol of peace - a dove.

CELESTIAL DELIGHT FOR A SATURDAY NIGHT

-WATCHED EWTN PROGRAMME ON THE POPE'S RIDE THRU LONDON VIA POPEMOBILE EN ROUTE TO THE EVENING VIGIL AT HYDE PARK.THE CROWDS LINING THE STREETS WERE MASSIVE AND HIGHLY ENTHUSIASTIC.EVEN THE SECULAR PLAGUED BBC CARRIED THE COVERAGE.
THE BEATIFICATION CEREMONIES OF CARDINAL NEWMAN TAKE PLACE TOMORROW.

-SPEAKING OF NEWMAN...HIS POEM/HYMN THAT I LOVE AND HAVE COMMITTED TO MEMORY...

LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT
"Lead, Kindly Light," by John Henry Newman (1801-90), was written when Cardinal Newman was in the stress and strain of perplexity and mental distress and bodily pain. The poem has been a star in the darkness to thousands. It was the favourite poem of President McKinley.

Lead, kindly Light, amid th' encircling gloom,

Lead Thou me on,

The night is dark, and I am far from home,

Lead Thou me on.

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.



I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou

Shouldst lead me on;

I loved to choose and see my path; but now

Lead Thou me on.

I loved the garish day; and, spite of fears,

Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.



So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still

Will lead me on

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till

The night is gone,

[225]

And with the morn those angel faces smile,

Which I have loved long since, and lost a while.


**************************************************************

-TO MAKE YOU LAUGH...

SHOULD I GET A DOG???













OR SHOULD I HAVE CHILDREN???

FRIDAY FUNNIES...

Have a great day and remember to give thanks....

I HAVE BEEN PRAYING THE ROSARY DAILY FOR THE POPE...ESPECIALLY HIS SAFETY ON THIS UK TRIP.SOMEONE'S LISTENING.

Want to see the best live coverage of the Pope’s trip to the U.K.? Tune into EWTN, beginning Thurs., Sept. 16! EWTN will be the only Network to air this historic trip live and with expert commentary by Anchor Raymond Arroyo, who has covered more papal events than anyone in the industry and who obtained the only English language tv interview in existence today with the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger!

SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT WHEELCHAIRS ABBEY...

DON'T FORGET THE PAPAL VISIT TO THE UK IN A FEW DAYS.TUNE IN TO EWTN FOR COVERAGE.

The pope's next trip to the United Kingdom will be unique. Not only is it Benedict’s first visit as pontiff, but it will be the first to be accompanied by a rap soundtrack.



The song, called "Heart's Cry", by Catholic group Ooberfüse, includes samples of the Holy Father’s voice.

The organizing committee for the Pope's visit decided on a selection of contemporary music for the prayer vigil, which will take place on Saturday 18 in Hyde Park. Finalists from Britain's Got Talent, including Liam McNally, will also perform.


The contemporary feel will also mark some of the proceedings in Glasgow, with Susan Boyle scheduled to perform a Bellahouston Park.

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you . But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
God

I SEE THAT HAWKING IS ON LARRY KING TONIGHT.

Sabeth...she found her boots in the closet.It was about 30 degrees celsius ( 90 degrees fahrenheit ) in the house but she NEEDED them. Or so she said!!!

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...

THIS IS THE FEAST DAY OF ST. GREGORY...OF GREGORIAN CHANT FAME...ONE OF MY FAVS.FOR AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON HIM,CHECK OUT MIKE AQUILINA'S SITE.

Miners trapped in Chile receive 33 rosaries blessed by Pope

CHECK OUT THE PAPAL UK COUNTDOWN WIDGET...AND PICK ONE UP.

WE'VE HAD 35 DEGREE CELSIUS (100 DEGREE FAHRENHEIT)WEATHER DURING THESE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER...WILL HIMMICANE EARL PUT AN END TO IT ON THE MORROW???



FRIDAY FUNNIES...

' Who Knew? '

After having dug to a depth of 10 meters last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 meters, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read:
"California archaeologists have found traces of 150 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network fifty years earlier than the New Yorkers."

One week later, "The Cape Breton Post", a local newspaper in Nova Scotia, reported the following:
"After digging as deep as 30 meters in a brush field near Sydney,Angus Sampson, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Angus has therefore concluded that 200 years ago, Cape Breton had already gone wireless."


JUST SHOWS YOU HOW INTELLIGENT WE PEOPLE FROM CAPE BRETON ARE